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The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has written to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) demanding that the latter provide house rent taxes collected to the metropolis. It is within the jurisdiction of the metropolis to collect house rent taxes. But the Department is collecting institutional house rent taxes. The Department should return the taxes collected to the metropolis, according to a letter written by the metropolis Mayor Balen Shah to the National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission. "The metropolis is only collecting private house rent taxes," he said. Stating that the metropolis has to bear a loss of Rs 1.43 billion in the course of collecting institutional house rent taxes by the Department, the Kathmandu Mayor also requested the Commission to compensate for the loss. "I make a humble request to the respected Commission to take required initiatives for the Department to return the house rent taxes collected so far to the metropolis and ensure the jurisdiction of the local level to collect house rent taxes. This interference by the Department is not acceptable to the metropolis," reads the letter.

President Ram Chandra Paudel has had a pacemaker fitted in his chest. The pacemaker will track the heartbeat of the President for 72 hours. The pacemaker was fitted at the recommendation of doctors involved in his treatment, according to a statement issued by the Manmohan Cardiothoracic Vascular & Transplant Centre under the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, where President Paudel is currently receiving treatment. The President was admitted to the hospital on June 17. He is said to be in normal condition.  

A four-party Socialist Front has been announced on Monday. The announcement was made by the senior leaders of the four leftist parties by signing the agreement paper of the Socialist Front Nepal amidst a program organized at Bhrikutimandap-based Rastriya Sabha Griha this afternoon. CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, CPN (Unified Socialist) Chairman Madhav Nepal, Janata Samajbadi Party Chairman Upendra Yadav and Communist Party of Nepal General Secretary Netra Bikram Chand signed the agreement. A 15-point policy commitment was also issued during the program. The Socialist Front was formed to be the third largest party after the Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML. The CPN (Maoist Center) has 32 lawmakers, CPN (Unified Socialist) and Janata Samajbadi Party have 10 and 12 lawmakers respectively in the House of Representatives. With the formation of a four-part front, the number of lawmakers has reached 54. Leaders said that the front was formed to end instability seen in the government and to make it easier to move ahead by uniting everyone. Rajendra Shrestha, a member of the Front, said that progressive forces will also be included in the Front. He said that the senior leaders will lead the Front on the rotation basis. An agreement has been made to do the same.  

Newly appointed Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal said that the government's topmost priority is to deliver public services more effectively and swiftly. In a meeting with the delegation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce on Monday, newly appointed Chief Secretary Aryal assured that the government is sensitive to deliver quality public services for which long-term policy and plans are in the offing. According to Aryal, improvement in the quality of public service is also linked to the success of the government. He stressed on the need for the government and private sector to join hands to attain economic growth and prosperity. He also said that efforts are being made for attracting international investment in Nepal. Similarly, the visiting delegation of the Chamber recommended putting in place a time-bound schedule and strictly implementing in the public offices so as to make the administrative services of the country swift and orderly. Chamber's President Rajendra Malla said that they also suggested the newly appointed Chief Secretary to make a service-sector that is directly linked to public result-oriented through effective intergovernmental coordination. According to him, by making time-bound scheduled for public service delivery would bring respite to the public. The Chamber also called for concrete policy arrangements to do away with the condition of people queuing up for hours to pay taxes. The Chamber also drew the attention of the Chief Secretary to facilitate in taking forward the Financial Ordinance that is under consideration in the parliament. It pointed out the need to attract as much as foreign investment to attain economic growth and prosperity.